Imaging device

ABSTRACT

An imaging device of the present invention comprises an imaging section for forming a subject image and outputting image data, a movement detection section for detecting movement of the imaging device, a common range determination section for determining a common range, based on detection results from the movement detection section, a display control section for carrying out control so as to achieve appropriate display for image data corresponding to the common range that has been determined by the common range determination section, and a display section for displaying the subject image based on the image data that has been controlled by the display control section.

Benefit is claimed, under 35 U.S.C.§119, to the filing date of priorJapanese Patent Application No. 2009-126002 filed on May 26, 2009. Thisapplication is expressly incorporated herein by reference. The scope ofthe present invention is not limited to any requirements of the specificembodiments described in the application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an imaging device such as a digitalcamera, video camera or mobile phone with camera, and in detail relatesto an imaging device that detects movement of the imaging device andsets an appropriate exposure.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are now more imaging devices being proposed to carryout imageprocessing by analyzing camera information and taken scenes than everbefore. For example, Japanese patent laid-open No. 2003-259137(laid-open Sep. 12, 2003) discloses an image tone correction device thatcan correct image data using shooting time and specified seasonalinformation so as to give a tone that matches what the operatorintended.

Also, Japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-238177 (laid-open Aug. 31,2001) discloses an image processing method wherein camera informationacquired or input when a subject is taken is acquired, and relatedinformation relating to a taken scene is further acquired, as required,and using these items of information a taken scene is estimated andimage processing is carried out in accordance with the estimated takenscene. Further, Japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-54297 (laid-open Mar.6, 2008) discloses an imaging device that determines an image scene whendetecting a subject from an image, and controls parameters used at thetime of detection in accordance with the determination result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has as its object to provide an imaging devicethat is capable of detecting a subject that is intended by an operatorwith a simple configuration, and carrying out display or shooting of thedetected subject at an appropriate exposure.

An imaging device of the present invention comprises an imaging sectionfor forming a subject image and outputting image data, a metering rangedetermination section for determining movement of the imaging devicebased on the image data, and determining a metering range based on thedetermination for this movement, an image processing section forperforming processing on image data so as to give appropriate display,based on image data of a metering range determined by the metering rangedetermination section, and a display section for displaying the subjectimage based on image data that has been processed by the imageprocessing section.

Also, an imaging device of the present invention comprises an imagingsection for forming a subject image and outputting image data, aphotometry range determination section for determining movement of theimaging device based on the image data, and determining a photometryrange based on the determination result for this movement, an exposurecontrol section for controlling to achieve an appropriate exposure basedon image data of a photometry range determined by the photometry rangedetermination section, and a storage section for storing image data thathas been controlled to give appropriate exposure by the exposure controlsection.

Further, an imaging device of the present invention comprises an imagingdevice of the present invention comprises an imaging section for forminga subject image and outputting image data, a movement detection sectionfor detecting movement of the imaging device, a common rangedetermination section for determining a common range based on detectionresults by the movement detection section, a display control section forperforming control of image data corresponding to the common range thathas been determined by the common range determination section so as toachieve appropriate display, and a display section for displaying thesubject image based on the image data controlled by the display controlsection.

Further, an imaging device of the present invention comprises an imagingsection for forming a subject image and outputting image data, amovement detection section for detecting movement of the imaging device,a common range determination section for determining a common rangebased on detection results by the movement detection section, anexposure control section for performing control of image datacorresponding to the common range that has been determined by the commonrange determination section so as to achieve appropriate exposure, and astorage section for storing the image that has been controlled by thedisplay control section so as to achieve appropriate exposure.

Further, an imaging device of the present invention comprises an imagingsection for forming a subject image, and a display control section foradjusting image processing amount for the result of imaging anddisplaying on a display section, wherein the display control sectionchanges the image processing amount in accordance with imagecharacteristics obtained from images sequentially obtained by theimaging section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a camera relating toa first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are drawings showing a relationship between subjectand screen angle, in the camera of the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are drawings showing appearance when searching for asubject image with the digital camera of the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4A to 4C are drawings for explaining how partial exposure meteringis carried out in order to obtain appropriate exposure for a subject, inthe camera of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operation of the camera of the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A to 6D are drawings for explaining a range in which partialexposure metering is carried out from movement of an image, in thecamera of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operation of partial exposure metering forthe camera of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C are graphs showing signal processing in the case ofcarrying out partial exposure metering, in the camera of the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A to 9F are drawings for explaining how partial exposure meteringis carried out to obtain appropriate exposure for a subject, with acamera of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing operation of the camera of the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a drawing for explaining how partial exposure metering iscarried out in order to obtain appropriate exposure for a subject, in acamera of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing operation of the camera of the thirdembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing operation of a camera of a fourthembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14A to 14C are drawings showing the appearance of live view displaywith the camera of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments using a camera to which the present invention hasbeen applied will be described in the following in accordance with thedrawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing electrical circuits of acamera 10 of a first embodiment of the present invention. The camera 10is a digital camera, and comprises an image processing and controlsection 1, an imaging section 2, a hand shake correction section 2 a, astorage section 4, a motion detection section 5, an operationdetermination section 6, a flash memory 7, a display section 8, a touchpanel 8 b and a clock section 9, etc.

The imaging section 2 includes exposure control portions, such as aphotographing lens having a zoom function and a shutter, an imagesensor, and image sensor drive and readout circuits, etc., and convertsa subject image that has been formed by the photographing lens to imagedata using the image sensor, and outputs this image data. The handshakecorrection section 2 a drives the image sensor or the photographing lenswithin the imaging section 2 in accordance with a hand shake signal froma hand shake detection section 1 c, that will be described later, so asto remove hand shake.

The image processing and control section 1 controls all sequences of thecamera 10, in accordance with programs stored in the flash memory 7.Various image processing, such as acquiring image signals output fromthe imaging section 2, thinning processing, edge enhancement, colorcorrection, image compression etc. are also carried out, and imageprocessing such as live view display, storage to the storage section 4,and playback display are carried out. Also, image processing is carriedout to extract a part of the image data and perform appropriate displayand appropriate exposure of this part. The image processing and controlsection 1 also functions as an exposure control section for performingcontrol to achieve appropriate exposure based on image data in ametering range that has been determined by a metering rangedetermination section 1 b, that will be described later. A power supplycontrol section 1 a, metering range determination section 1 b and handshake detection section 1 c are included in the image processing andcontrol section 1.

The power supply control section performs overall power supply controlfor the camera 10. When it has been determined by an operationdetermination section 6, which will be described later, that a powerswitch has been turned on, power for the camera 10 is turned on, and thecamera 10 is activated. Besides this way of activating the camera, poweris also turned on and the camera activated when a large vibration, suchwhen suddenly picking up the camera 10, is detected by a comparator 5 ainside the motion detection section 5 that will be described later. Inthis manner, shooting is made possible by the photographer simplypicking up the camera 10.

The metering range determination section 1 b determines a range in whichmetering is carried out so as to achieve appropriate exposure whenperforming exposure control at the time of exposure or live viewdisplay. In determining this metering range, camera movement is detectedbased on image data output from the imaging section 2, and based on thismovement a position of the photographer's intended subject is estimated,and determined as a metering range.

The hand shake detection section 1 c detects movement such as hand shakethat is applied to the camera 10, on the basis of image data output fromthe imaging section 2, and generates hand shake correction signals inorder to negate movement such as this hand shake. As previouslydescribed, the hand shake correction signals are output to the handshake correction section 2 a, where hand shake correction is carriedout.

The motion detection section 5 has sensors such as an accelerationsensor, angular acceleration sensor, angular velocity sensor, and agyro, and outputs movement signals corresponding to movement applied tothe camera, and a gravitational direction signal representing thedirection of gravitational force, to the image processing and controlsection 1. The motion detection section 5 also has a comparator 5 a forcomparing movement signals output from the above-described sensors withspecified values.

The comparator 5 a also operates while power to the camera 10 is turnedoff, and if there is movement of more than a specified value anactivation signal is output from the comparator 5 a. The power supplycontrol circuit 1 a sets the camera 10 to a power on state, as describedpreviously, and activates the camera 10 if an activation signal isreceived from the comparator 5 a.

The operation determination section 6 contains various operationmembers, such as a release button, power switch, playback mode settingbutton, menu button, etc., and determines operating states of theseoperation members and sends determination results to the imageprocessing and control section 1. The image processing and controlsection 1 carries out control for shooting and playback in a specifiedsequence, in accordance with the operating states of the operationmembers. The flash memory 7, which is a non-volatile memory capable ofbeing electrically rewritten, stores programs that are executed by theimage processing and control section 1, and stores various data such asadjustment data.

The storage section 4 stores image data that has been acquired by theimaging section 2 when shooting is instructed by a release button, andthat has been subjected to image processing by the image processing andcontrol section 1. Also, shooting time and date information output froma clock section 9, that will be described later, and shooting locationinformation output from a GPS or the like, not shown, are correlated toimage data and stored. This shooting location information and shootingdate information can be used at the time of image processing and imagesearch.

The display section 8 has a display section such as a liquid crystalpanel or an organic EL panel arranged on a rear surface of the camera10, and carries out live view display prior to shooting, normal playbackdisplay of already stored images, and display of camera information,etc. A touch panel 8 b is arranged on a front surface of the displaypanel of the display section 8, or inside the display panel, and detectsa position touched the photographer's finger etc. and outputs thedetection result to the image processing and control section 1. Theclock section 9 has a calendar function and a clock function, andoutputs shooting date and time information at the time of shooting.

Next, the general concept of the display control and exposure control inthis embodiment will be described using FIG. 2A to FIG. 4C. FIG. 2A and2B show appearance when a photograph of a small bird 22, being asubject, is taken. The small bird 22 is only an example, and thisembodiment assumes a small subject, such as a small bird or a cherryblossom. In the state shown in FIG. 2A, the photographer is trying tophotograph the small bird 22, and so only a narrow highlighted field ofview is being watched.

In this case, the human eye can faithfully recognize the color of thehighlighted range 23 a, but since in live view display on the displaysection 8 of the camera 10 display control is carried out in accordancewith the brightness of the entire screen, it is not possible tofaithfully replicate the colors of the small bird 22. In particular, ina case where sky is the background, exposure is affected by the skyhaving a wide area, and results in a display where the small bird 22 isdark and it is not possible to discern where it is.

Also, the highlighted field of view 23 a not matching a wide angle fieldof view 23 b of the camera 10 or a desired field of view 23 c is also acause of confusion to photographers. Specifically, in a case where asmall bird 22, being the subject can not be found on the display section8, then the photographer zooms the imaging section 2 toward the wideangle end, as shown in FIG. 2B, but with the wide angle field of view 23b it is difficult to see the small bird 22 as the color is close toachromatic. If the photographer then zooms to the desired field of view23 c the small bird 22 will be moved out of the field ^(of) view withonly slight shaking of the camera 10.

With a conventional camera 10, therefore, it is difficult to get thesmall bird 22 that is the objective inside the angle of view of thecamera 10 while monitoring the display section 8, and the small bird 22will often fly off while changing the angle of view or changing theviewing direction.

In this embodiment, when the photographer searches for the small bird 22that is the subject, as shown in FIG. 3A, the camera 10 is moved thoughposition 24 a, position 24 b and position 24 c, and so movement of thecamera 10 at this time is detected to determine a metering range at thetime of display and exposure. Specifically, a metering range isdetermined utilizing the fact that field of view ranges 25 a, 25 b and25 c change in accordance with positions 24 a, 24 b and 24 c (not onlysimply position, but also including direction in which the subject isfacing) of the camera 10.

When the viewing angle of the camera 10 is wide, the small bird 22 issmall and it is difficult to know its current location, but there is ahigh possibility of the small bird 22 being located within a range wherethe photographer moves the camera in search of it. Consequently, acommon range 25 d where the field of view ranges 25 a to 25 c areoverlapping is considered to be a portion where the photographer 20 isprioritizing their search for the subject, and exposure is obtained inthis portion.

At the time when the camera 10 starts to move, exposure has not beenobtained for the small bird 22, and so the colors are not the same aswhen looking at the small bird 22 with the naked eye. The photographeris therefore unable to correctly perceive the position of the small bird22. However, if the camera 10 obtains exposure in the common range 25 dwhere the ranges 25 a to 25 c overlap, exposure is obtained for thesmall bird 22, and the colors of the small bird can be seen precisely.The photographer 20 can therefore correctly carry out framing andzooming.

As shown in FIG. 3B, it is possible to obtain the common range 25 d froma number of ranges 25 a to 25 c, but in the flow of FIG. 5 a commonrange 26 c is determined using two ranges 26 a and 26 b, as shown inFIG. 4A. If the camera 10 is pointed towards the field of view ranges 26a and 25 b in searching for the small bird 22, then since thephotographer considers that the subject is in the direction of thiscommon range 26 c exposure control is prioritized to that portion.

By carrying out exposure control so as to give appropriate exposure forthe common range 26 c, as shown in FIG. 4B, it is possible to performcontrol that stresses exposure and color reproducibility of the part ofthe small bird 22. Following that, in the case of partial exposuremetering, color correction is also carried out as well as exposure. Inthe case of carrying out live view display, exposure control is carriedout using ISO sensitivity and an electronic shutter of an image sensoretc., and with exposure control in the case of storing in the storagesection 4 control is carried out using ISO sensitivity, aperture value,shutter speed etc.

Also, in recent years image composition methods have become known inwhich a natural appearance is achieved while carrying out display andexposure separately for a portion that is inside an image and anotherportion. By using this type of technology, it is also possible toacquire an image that includes a tree 21 and is not over exposedoverall, as shown in FIG. 4C, while still giving appropriate colorreproducibility for the small bird 22, as shown in FIG. 4B. Thisprocessing is executed in step S112 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5,which will be described later.

In this way, in this embodiment, the fact that the photographer searchesfor a subject, such as the small bird 22, by trial and error by movingthe camera 10 when framing is utilized to display and expose the subjectwith an appropriate exposure.

Next, operation of the camera 10 of this embodiment will be describedusing the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. This flowchart and a flowchart tobe described later are executed by the image processing section and thecontrol section 1, in accordance with programs stored in the flashmemory 7. If the power to the camera 10 is turned on and the cameraactivated, the processing flow shown in FIG. 5 commences. As well aswhen the power switch is turned on, power on is also started when anactivation signal is output from the comparator 5 a of the motiondetection section 5, as described previously.

If the processing flow shown in FIG. 5 starts, it is first determinedwhether or not the camera is in shooting mode (S101). A shooting modeand a playback mode are provided in this camera 10, and thephotographer's mode selection state is determined by the operationdetermination section 6. If the result of determination in step S101 isthat the camera is not in shooting mode, it is next determined whetheror not it is in playback mode (S121).

If the result of determination in step S121 is that the camera 10 is notin playback mode either, processing returns to step S101. On the otherhand, if playback mode is determined playback of taken images is carriedout (S122). In this step, images selected by the user from among takenimages stored in the storage section are playback displayed on thedisplay section 8. Once playback of taken images is finished, processingreturns to step S101.

If the result of determination in step S101 is that it is shooting mode,then in step S102 and after control is carried out so as to giveappropriate display and exposure, focusing on the common range 25 d thatwas explained using FIG. 2A to FIG. 4C. First of all, image forming iscarried out (S102). In this step image data of a subject image isacquired by the imaging section 2. Image plane averaging metering isthen carried out (S103). In this step, an average value of the imagedata acquired in step S102 is calculated by the image processing andcontrol section 1.

Once image plane averaging metering has been carried out in step S103,exposure control is next carried out (S104). In the subsequent stepS105, live view display is carried out based on the image data, but inthis step S104 control such as for ISO sensitivity for the imagingsection 2 is carried out based on subject brightness obtained by imageplane averaging metering. Next, live view display is carried out in thedisplay section 8 based on image data that has been subjected toexposure control (S105). By carrying out live view display it ispossible for the photographer to perform framing.

Once the display in step S105 has been carried out, it is nextdetermined whether or not a shooting operation has been performed. Inthis step, whether or not the photographer has operated a release buttonto issue an exposure command is determined by the operationdetermination section 6.

If the result of determination in step S106 is that a shooting operationhas not been performed, image forming is next carried out, similarly tostep S102 (S108). In the case where display control is being carried outbased on the result of image plane averaging metering in step S103, thenappropriate display is unlikely for a partial subject (for example thesmall bird 22), as shown in FIG. 4A. At this time, since thephotographer moves the camera 10 so as to search for the subject, instep S131 and after it is determined whether or not this type ofmovement is being performed, and if the result of determination is thata subject is being searched for, display control is carried withemphasis on the common range 26 c, as was described using FIG. 4B.

Once image formation in step S108 has been carried out, it is nextdetermined whether or not the camera 10 is being held (S131). In thisstep, it is determined whether or not the photographer 20 is holding thecamera 10 as shown in FIG. 3A. This determination is carried out, forexample, by determination as to whether or not a touch panel 8 b hasbeen touched at a specified location (location where it is possible togrip the camera 10 firmly with the right hand), and/or by detectingwhether the direction of gravitational force on the camera 10 is in thevertical or horizontal direction using the motion detection section 5.

If the result of determination in step S131 is that the camera is notbeing held, processing returns to step S103 where image plane averagingmetering is carried out, and live view display is continued. On theother hand, if the result of determination is that the camera 10 isbeing held, it is next determined whether or not image variation islarge (S132). In this step, it is determined, based on image data fromthe imaging section 2, whether or not variation in images is large, inother words, whether or not the photographer is moving the camera 10 toacquire the subject. This determination of image variation is carriedout by comparing an image of an observation range 27 a at time T=t1shown in FIG. 6A with an observation range 27 b at time T=t2 shown inFIG. 6B, and determining whether or not the result of this comparison,or a variation in the observation ranges, is larger than a predeterminedvalue.

If the result of determination in step S132 is that the image variationis large, it is next determined whether or not there are overlappingportions (S134). In this step, it is determined whether or not there isa common range 27 c, as shown in FIG. 6C and FIG. 6D. If the result ofthis determination is that there are no overlapping portions, it issimply considered that the taken image has changed, and processingreturns to step S103 where averaging metering is carried out.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S134 is thatthere are overlapping portions, partial exposure metering is carried outfor the overlapping portions (S135). Here, a brightness value forpartial exposure metering is obtained using image data for portionscorresponding to the common portion 27 shown in FIG. 6C and FIG. 6D.Once a partial exposure metering value has been obtained, processingreturns to step S104. Detailed description of this partial exposuremetering for the overlapped portions will be given later using FIG. 7and FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C.

In the case where the determinations in both step S132 and step S134 areyes, and the partial exposure metering of step S135 is carried out, itis a case of the two images of observation ranges 27 a and 27 b shown inFIG. 6A and FIG. 6B not matching, and there being the common range 27 cshown in FIG. 6C and FIG. 6D. With this embodiment, when the area of thecommon portion is smaller than ½ the screen, and larger than 1/16th ofthe screen, with image variation it is determined that there is animportant portion. These numerical values are examples, and can be setas appropriate, but numerical values are preferably determined takinginto consideration correction of composition after AE lock in step S133,which will be described later, and determination of whether or not thereis movement for subject searching etc.

If the result of determination in step S132 is that image variation isnot large, it is next determined whether or not partial exposuremetering has already been completed (S133). This is a determination asto whether or not partial exposure metering of step S135 was carriedout. If the result of determination is that this partial exposuremeeting has not been carried out, processing returns to step S105, whileif partial exposure metering has been carried out processing returns tostep S104. Specifically, after partial exposure metering has beencarried out in step S135, if it has been determined in step S132 thatimage variation is small (No in step S132) then it is considered that asubject (small bird 22) was found, and an AE lock state is entered.

In this way, in the case where it has been determined in step S106 thata shooting operation (release operation) has not been performed, displaycontrol for live view display is carried out so as to give appropriatedisplay for a small subject, such as the small bird 22, by executingstep S108 and steps S131 to S135. In the event that there is not a smallsubject such as the small bird 22, there is no movement in searching thesubject, even if the camera is being held, and so averaging meteringtakes place, but since this time the subject is large appropriateexposure is achieved.

If the result of determination in step S106 is that there has been ashooting operation (release operation), shooting is carried out (S107).In this step, image data from the imaging section 2 is acquired inresponse to the release operation, for image data storage. Next, it isdetermined whether or not a difference in exposure is large (S111).Here, it is determined whether or not a difference between maximumbrightness and minimum brightness within the picture is greater than aspecified value.

If the result of determination in step S111 is that the exposuredifference is large, adaption processing is carried out (S112). Adaptionprocessing means carrying out image processing to give appropriateexposure for the subject (small bird 22), while also giving appropriateexposure overall, such as for a tree 21 or the like that is overexposed,as has been described using FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C. The specified value forthe determination in step S111 is set to a brightness difference atwhich it is desired to carry out adaption processing.

Once the adaption processing of step S112 is carried out, or if theresult of determination in step S111 is that exposure difference is notlarge, the image data acquired in step S107 and the image data that wassubjected to adaption processing in step S112 are stored in the storagesection 4 (S113). At the time of image data storage, shooting date andtime information etc. correlated with the image data is stored. Onceimage data storage is finished, processing returns to step S101.

Next, detailed operation of partial exposure metering in step S135 willbe described using FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. When a subject is under exposed,differences in the RGB three color signal outputs are small, and therewill be cases where color discrimination is difficult. With thisembodiment therefore, when the camera 10 is being moved, as with thecommon range 26 c of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, and the common range 27 c ofFIG. 6C and FIG. 6D, partial exposure metering is carried out for aportion that is common within that movement.

Once the partial exposure metering subroutine is entered, properadjustment of a partial exposure is first carried out (S201). Here,within respective color signal outputs (image data) for R (red), G(green) and B (blue) for positions within the picture, as shown in FIG.8A, respective color signals for a range that is the subject of partialexposure metering are controlled to an appropriate level, as shown inFIG. 8B. In the case of display, exposure is set to an appropriate levelby varying ISO sensitivity or the like, and/or varying gain for imagedata in the image processing and control section 1. In the case ofperforming a shooting operation, appropriate exposure is achieved byalso carrying out control of shutter and aperture etc.

The partial exposure metering of step S201 alone is sufficient, butunder backlit conditions there may be situations where it is difficultto discern colors due to peripheral light to the display section 8 andphotographic flare. With this embodiment therefore, after correctadjustment of partial exposure has been carried out in step S201, chromaemphasis is carried out in step S202 and after.

Then, once correct adjustment of partial exposure has been carried out,chroma determination is carried out (S202), and it is determined whetheror not there is a difference of greater than or equal to ¼ signal Max(S203). In these two steps, a difference signal between G and B, and adifference signal between B and R are obtained (refer to FIG. 8B), andit is determined whether or not either of these differences is ¼ or moreof the maximum value of the RGB signals. In the case of a subject thatis approaching an achromatic color, if chroma emphasis processing isforcibly carried out it will result in an unnatural tint, which is whychroma emphasis processing is carried out in cases where there is achroma difference of a certain level. ¼ is merely an example, and can bemade a numerical value at which it can be determined whether or not adifference in chroma is of such a level that it will not be unnaturalwhen chroma emphasis is carried out.

If the result of determination in step S203 is that the difference is ¼or greater, chroma emphasis is carried out according to color (S204). Aschroma enhancement, image processing is carried out to make signaldifferences between G and both R and B larger, as shown in FIG. 8C. Asthis processing, the difference is made 1.3 times larger for R and 1.7times larger for B, for example. Once the chroma enhancement has beencarried out in step S204, or if the result of determination in step S203was greater than or equal to ¼ signal Max, processing returns to theoriginating flow.

In this way, in the processing flow for partial exposure metering ofthis embodiment, using image data, being the common ranges 26 c and 27 cwith movement of the camera 10, partial exposure metering values areobtained and live view display on the display section 8 is carried outat an appropriate exposure. It is therefore possible to perform displaywith an appropriate exposure, even with a small subject such as thesmall bird 22. Also, when a release operation has been carried outexposure control is performed based on partial exposure metering values,and so image data is acquired at the appropriate exposure, and thisimage data can be stored in the storage section 4.

Also, in the processing flow for partial exposure metering of thisembodiment, chroma emphasis is carried out when there is a difference inchroma of a particular extent. This is because even if coloring isindistinct, such as in backlit conditions, it becomes easier to seecolors inherent to the subject, and framing and zooming become easier toperform.

As has been described above, with the first embodiment of the presentinvention movement of the camera 10 is detected based on image data, andpartial exposure metering is carried out based on this detected movementof the camera 10. The photographer's intended subject is thereforedetected, and it is possible to perform appropriate display orappropriate exposure of this subject.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be describedusing FIG. 9A to FIG. 9F, and FIG. 10. In the first embodiment, it isdetermined whether or not there is a common range when the camera 10 ismoving. In the second embodiment, a movement vector is detected, andwhen this movement vector is reversed, and when there is a common range,partial exposure metering is carried out for that range.

Detection of the common range in the second embodiment will be describedusing FIG. 9A to FIG. 9F. FIG. 9A shows a relationship between subjects(a tree 21 and a small bird 22) and a viewing range 28 a at time T=t1.FIG. 9B shows a relationship between the subjects and the viewing rangeat time T=t2. Here, the viewing range moves as a result of thephotographer moving the camera 10 in search of the small bird 22. Amovement vector 29 a at this time is obtained using image data for theviewing range 28 a and the viewing range 28 b.

Next, at time T=t3, as shown in FIG. 9C, the viewing range 28 c moves,and a movement vector 29 b at this time is obtained using image data forthe viewing range 28 b and the viewing range 28 c. The movement vector29 b obtained here and the movement vector 29 a obtained at time T=t2are compared, and it is determined whether the direction of the vectorshas reversed. If the result of determination is that the direction hasreversed, it is considered that there is a common range close to thepoint in time where that reversal occurred, and the common range isobtained and subjected to partial exposure metering.

In the second embodiment, a common range is obtained in the manner asdescribed previously, but this configuration is the same as the firstembodiment, and since the flow chart shown in FIG. 5 is simply replacedwith the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, description will be given focusingon points of difference.

Within the processing flow shown in FIG. 10, steps S101 to S122 are thesame as the processing flow shown in FIG. 5, and so the same steps havethe same step numbers attached thereto, and detailed description isomitted. In step S106, it is determined whether or not a shootingoperation has been carried out, and if the result of determination isthat a shooting operation has not been carried out imaging is carriedout in step S108. Image data acquired by this imaging is temporarilystored (S140). Every time processing passes through this step S140,image data is sequentially temporarily stored, and cleared in stepsS151, S152 and S147 which will be described later.

Once image data has been stored, movement vector determination iscarried out (S141). Here, a movement vector is obtained using the newestimage data that has been temporarily stored in step S140 and the imagedata temporarily stored one before. Once movement vector determinationhas been carried out, it is then determined whether or not the movementvector that was obtained in step S141 is larger than a first specifiedvalue (S142). If the result of this determination is that the movementvector is not larger than the first specified value, it is nextdetermined whether or not the movement vector obtained in step S141 issmaller than a second specified value (S143).

If the results of determination in steps S142 and S143 are that themovement vector is larger than the first specified value or smaller thanthe second specified value, the image data that was temporarily storedin step S140 is cleared (S151), and processing returns to step S105. Onthe other hand, if the result of determination in step S143 is that themovement vector is not smaller than the second specified value, it isthen determined whether or not the movement vector has been reversed(S144).

When determining reversal of the movement vector, when movement vectorsare so large that detection is not possible in consecutive frames (Yesin S142) it is considered that framing is being performed, and when themovement vector is 1/10th or less of the screen in consecutive frames(Yes in S143) it is considered to be a state where the photographer istrying to determine the composition, and the image data that wastemporarily stored in step S143 is cleared. Accordingly, thedetermination as to whether or not the movement vector has reversed, instep S144, is a case where the movement vector is not too large and isnot too small. This time is made a state where the photographer is stillsearching for the subject, and it is being determined whether or not themovement vector has been reversed. The first and second specified valuesin steps S142 and S143 can be appropriately set taking intoconsideration whether the above described framing is in progress, orcomposition is being decided, etc.

If the result of determination in step S144 is that the movement vectorhas not reversed, processing returns to step S103. On the other hand, ifthe result of determination is that the movement vector has reversed, itis then determined whether or not there are overlapping portions (S145).Here, image data that was temporarily stored in step S140 and image dataat the time of movement vector determination in step S141 are compared,to determine whether or not there are image portions that are common.

If the result of determination in step S145 is that there are nooverlapping portions, the image data that was temporarily stored instepS140 is cleared (S152), and processing returns to step S103. On theother hand, if the result of determination is that there are overlappingportions, partial exposure metering is carried out for the overlappingportions (S146). This partial exposure metering is the same as thepartial exposure metering that was described in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 forthe first embodiment, and so detailed description is omitted. Oncepartial exposure metering has been carried out, the image data that wastemporarily stored in step S140 is cleared (S147), and processingreturns to step S104.

Since there is a limit to the temporary storage of imaging results instep S108, this date is cleared as required (steps S151, S152, S147).When there is an operation other than a shooting operation, such aszooming or the release switch being pressed down half way, it ispossible to perform locking of exposure.

As has been described above, with the second embodiment also, movementof the camera 10 is detected based on image data, and partial exposuremetering is carried out based on this detected movement of the camera10. The photographer's intended subject is therefore detected, and it ispossible to perform appropriate display or appropriate exposure of thissubject. Also, with the second embodiment determination as to whether ornot there are overlapping portions is only attempted when the movementvector has been reversed, and so it is possible to shorten theprocessing time.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be describedusing FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. With the first embodiment a common range wasdetected with a single two frame comparison, and in the secondembodiment a movement vector for an image was detected and the commonrange detected when this movement vector reversed. With the thirdembodiment partial exposure metering is carried by selecting the mostcommon portions from images of three or more frames (10 frames in thethird embodiment) obtained consecutively. Specifically, as shown in FIG.11, a common range 30 where numerous viewing ranges overlap most isobtained, and partial exposure metering is carried out for this commonrange 30.

With the third embodiment, the common range 30 is obtained from portionsthat overlap the most using the methods as described previously, butthis configuration is the same as for the first embodiment and secondembodiment, and since the only difference is that the flowchart shown inFIG. 10 is replaced with the flowchart of FIG. 12, description willcenter on the points of difference.

The processing flow shown in FIG. 12 has step S101 to step S122, andsteps S140 to S151, the same as the processing flow shown in FIG. 10,and the same steps have the same reference numerals assigned thereto,and detailed description is omitted. Imaging results are temporarilystored in step S140, but in this embodiment it is possible totemporarily store image data of at least 10 frames.

When the processing flow of FIG. 12 is entered and the result ofdetermination in step S143 is that a movement vector is not smaller thana second specified value, it is next determined whether or not there are10 frames of temporarily stored images (S161). If the result of thisdetermination is that there are not yet ten frames, processing returnsto step S103. After that, imaging is carried out in step S108, and theformed image data are temporarily stored in step S109.

If the result of determination in step S161 is that there are 10 framesof image data temporarily stored, a portion where there is mostoverlapping is next extracted (S162). Here, as shown in FIG. 11, acommon region 30 where there is the most overlapping is obtained fromcomparison of image data. Once the portion with the most overlapping hasbeen extracted, partial exposure metering is performed (S163). Thispartial exposure metering is the same as the partial exposure meteringthat was described in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 for the first embodiment, and sodetailed description is omitted. Once partial exposure metering has beencarried out, the image data that was temporarily stored in step S164 iscleared (S164), and processing returns to step S104.

As has been described above, with the third embodiment also movement ofthe camera 10 is detected based on image data, and partial exposuremetering is carried out based on this detected movement of the camera10. The photographer's intended subject is therefore detected, and it ispossible to perform display or exposure of this subject with theappropriate exposure. Also, with the third embodiment partial exposuremetering is carried out for a portion with the most overlapping with atleast three temporarily stored images, and so it requires a little moreprocessing time, but it is possible to accurately acquire a subject thatis to be targeted.

With this embodiment, the motion detection section 5 provides thefunction of a movement detection section for detecting movement of theimaging device (camera 10). Also, the image processing and controlsection 1 provides the function of a common range determination sectionfor determining a common range based on detection results from themovement detection section, a display control section for performingcontrol to achieve appropriate display based on image data correspondingto the common range determined by the common range determinationsection, and an exposure control section for performing control toachieve appropriate exposure based on image data corresponding to thecommon range determined by the common range determination section. Withthis embodiment, the function as the movement detection section isfulfilled by the motion detection section 5, but naturally it is alsopossible to detect movement of the camera 10 based on image dataacquired from the imaging section 2, similarly to the first and secondembodiments.

Next a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be describedusing FIG. 13 and FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C. With the first to thirdembodiments, movement of the camera 10 is detected and a metering methodchanged, that is, a search mode using motion detection was automaticallycarried out, but with the fourth embodiment the search mode using motiondetection can be set manually. Also, in detecting movement of the camera10, detection results from the motion detection section 5 are used, notimage data.

The structure of the fourth embodiment is the same as the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1, and since the only point of difference isthat the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is replaced with FIG. 13, descriptionwill be given focusing on points of difference. If the flow shown inFIG. 13 is entered, then similarly to step S101, it is determinedwhether or not it is shooting mode (S301). If the result ofdetermination is that the camera is not in shooting mode, it is nextdetermined whether or not it is in playback mode, similarly to step S121(S331).

If the result of determination in step S331 is that the camera is inplayback mode, taken images are next played back, similarly to step S122(S332). Once playback of taken images is finished, processing returns tostep S301. On the other hand, if the result of determination in stepS331 is that it is not playback mode, it is next determined whether ornot mode setting will be carried out (S333). Since mode setting iscarried out using the menu screen etc., in this step whether or not thecamera has been set into menu mode is determined by the operationdetermination section 6.

If the result of determination in step S333 is that it is mode setting,setting is carried out manually in accordance with an operation (S334).Search mode settings for use with motion detection are carried out usingthis setting mode. Once mode setting has been carried out in step S334,or if the result of determination in step S333 was that it was not modesetting, processing returns to step S301.

If the result of determination in step S301 is shooting mode, imageformation is then carried out, similarly to step S102 (S302). Next, itis determined whether or not search mode is active (S311). As describedpreviously, since it is possible to set the search mode in step S334, inthis step it is determined whether or not the camera has been set tosearch mode. As a setting method for the search mode, besides settingmanually in step S334 it is also possible to set to search mode in casessuch as when the camera 10 is suddenly pointed upwards. Whether or notthe camera has suddenly been pointed upwards can be detected using themotion detection section 5.

If the result of determination in step S311 is that search mode has beenset, motion determination is carried out (S312). Motion determination isdetection of movement of the camera 10 by the motion detection section5, and determining a common range within this movement if there is aspecified amount of movement or more. As with the first to thirdembodiments, it is also possible to perform motion determination basedon image data acquired by the imaging section 2.

Once motion determination has been carried out, area determination iscarried out (S313). Here, it is determined, based on results of motiondetermination carried out in step S312, whether or not there is movementof a specified extent or more, and whether or not there is a commonrange. If the result of this determination is that there is not a commonrange, processing returns to step S301. On the other hand, if the resultof area determination is that there is a common range, display of anarea frame is carried out (S314).

When displaying the area frame in step S314, in the case where there isa common range 31 b (refer to FIG. 14B) within the viewing range 31 a,as shown in FIG. 14A, then as shown in FIG. 14C both an overall image 32a corresponding to the viewing range 31 a, and a search image 32 bcorresponding to the common range 31 b, are displayed on the displaysection 8. If a region corresponding to the common range 31 b (searchimage 32 b) is shown in the overall image 32 a using a dotted lineframe, the location of the common range 31 b is easy to understand.

Once the area frame display of step S314 has been carried out, meteringwithin the area is carried out (S315). Here, metering is carried out,based on image data of the common range 31 b, to give appropriateexposure for that range. Based on this area metering, control is carriedout to achieve live view display at an appropriate display on thedisplay section 8, and when a shooting operation, which will bedescribed later, is performed exposure control to achieve appropriateexposure is carried out. This metering within the area can use theprocessing flow for partial exposure metering shown in FIG. 7 as it is.

Once the metering within the area has been carried out in step S315,next, similarly to step S106, it is determined whether or not a shootingoperation has been performed. (S316). If the result of thisdetermination is that a shooting operation has not been performed,processing returns to step S301. On the other hand, if a shootingoperation has been performed, shooting is carried out (S317). Here,image data corresponding to the entire screen 32 a is acquired from theimaging section 2 and stored in the storage section 4.

Next shooting in the area is carried out (S318). Here, image datacorresponding to the common range 32 b is trimmed from the image datacorresponding to the overall image 32 a by the image processing andcontrol section 1, and this trimmed image data is stored in the storagesection 4. Once shooting in the area has been carried out in step S318,processing returns to step S301.

With this embodiment, image data respectively corresponding to theoverall image 32 a and the search image 32 b are stored in the storagesection 4, but this is not limiting, and it is also possible to selectand store either one. As a method of selection, it is possible to detectwhich of the overall image or the search image 32 b displayed on thedisplay section has been touched using a touch panel 8 b, and to selectthe image to be stored based on the detection results.

Also, with this embodiment, when there is a common area as a result ofthe area determination at the time of display, both images are displayedside by side, but it is also possible to selectively display either oneof the images. Further, in the first to third embodiments of the presentinvention also, it is possible to trim the image (search image) of thecommon range and display as shown in FIG. 14C.

If the result of determination in step S311 is that it is not searchmode, it is normal shooting mode and face detection is carried out first(S321). In this step, the image processing and control section 1processes the image data, and it is determined whether or not a person'sface is contained within the image.

Next, face portion metering is carried out (S322). In this step, basedon the location of a face that has been detected in step S321,brightness is obtained based on image data around that face. Based onmetering results of this face portion metering, control is carried outto achieve appropriate display for live view display on the displaysection 8, and when a shooting operation, which will be described later,is performed exposure control to achieve appropriate exposure is carriedout.

Next, similarly to step S316, it is determined whether or not a shootingoperation has been carried out. (S323). If the result of thisdetermination is that a shooting operation has been performed, shootingis carried out (S324). Here, image data acquired by the imaging section2 is stored in the storage section 4 after image processing by the imageprocessing and control section 1. Once shooting is carried out, if theresult of determination in step S324 is that there is no shootingoperation, processing returns to step S301.

In this manner, with the fourth embodiment of the present inventionmovement of the camera 10 is detected by the motion detection section 5,and partial exposure metering is carried out based on this detectedmovement of the camera 10. The photographer's intended subject istherefore detected, and it is possible to perform display or exposure ofthis subject with the appropriate exposure.

Also, with the fourth embodiment, since it is possible to manually set asearch mode using motion detection, it is possible to carry out shootingas intended by the photographer only when it is desired to execute asearch mode. Further, with this embodiment both an overall image 32 aand a search image 32 b are displayed on the display section 8. Thesearch image 32 b is a subject intended as a target by the photographer,and this is subjected to trimmed display and can be shot as it is, andso is extremely convenient.

As has been described above, with each embodiment of the presentinvention movement of the camera 10 is detected, and display control andexposure control are carried out using image data of portions that arecommon. The photographer's intended subject is therefore detected with asimple configuration, and it is possible to perform display or exposureof this subject with the appropriate exposure.

With each of the embodiments of the present invention, when carrying outdisplay control and exposure control, partial exposure metering ofportions that are common is used, but this is not limiting and it isalso possible to perform control using center weighted metering nrevaluative exposure metering using the common portions, and to correctdisplay control values and exposure control values using partialexposure metering values.

Also, in each of the embodiments of the present invention, at the timeof live view display exposure and color correction are carried out, butsince the purpose of this is to improve the visual quality in a liquidcrystal panel or an organic EL panel display system, these adjustmentsare not limiting and it is also possible, for example, to implementschemes such as increasing backlight brightness or flash brightness inaccordance with exposure and color correction.

Further, with each of the embodiments of the present invention,description has been given using a using a digital camera as anapparatus for taking pictures, but as a camera it is also possible touse a digital single lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, ora camera for movie use such as a video camera, and further to have acamera that is incorporated into a mobile phone, a mobile informationterminal (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), game console etc.

The present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments,and structural elements may be modified in actual implementation withinthe scope of the gist of the embodiments. It is also possible to formvarious inventions by suitably combining the plurality structuralelements disclosed in the above describe embodiments. For example, it ispossible to omit some of the structural elements shown in theembodiments. It is also possible to suitably combine structural elementsfrom different embodiments.

1. An imaging device, comprising: an imaging section for forming asubject image and outputting image data, a metering range determinationsection for determining movement of the imaging device based on theimage data, and determining a metering ranged based on the results ofthis movement determination; an image processing section for subjectingimage data to processing to achieve appropriate display based on imagedata of a metering range determined by the metering range determinationsection; and a display section for displaying the subject image based onthe image data that has been processed by the image processing section.2. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein: the metering rangedetermination section compares the image data at a first time and theimage data at a second time, and determines identical portions to be ametering region.
 3. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein: the meteringrange determination section obtains a movement vector based on the imagedata, and determines the metering range in the vicinity of where themovement vector reverses.
 4. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein: themetering range determination section temporarily stores a plurality ofimage data, and when the temporarily stored image data reach a specifiednumber, determines portions that overlap the most to be the meteringrange.
 5. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein: the image processingsection carries out image processing for chroma emphasis on image dataof the metering range.
 6. An imaging device, comprising: an imagingsection for forming a subject image and outputting image data, ametering range determination section for determining movement of theimaging device based on the image data, and determining a meteringranged based on the results of this movement determination; an exposurecontrol section for carrying out control to achieve appropriate exposurebased on image data of a metering range determined by the metering rangedetermination section; and a storage section for storing image data thathas been controlled so as to have appropriate exposure by the exposurecontrol section.
 7. An imaging device, comprising: an imaging sectionfor forming a subject image and outputting image data, a movementdetection section for detecting movement of the imaging device; a commonrange determination section for determining a common range, based ondetection results from the movement detection section; a display controlsection for carrying out control so as to achieve appropriate displayfor image data corresponding to the common range that has beendetermined by the common range determination section; and a displaysection for displaying the subject image based on the image data thathas been controlled by the display control section.
 8. The imagingdevice of claim 7, wherein: the movement detection section detectsmovement of the imaging device based on the image data.
 9. The imagingdevice of claim 7, wherein: the movement detection section includes amovement sensor for detecting any of angular acceleration, acceleration,or angular velocity applied to the imaging device.
 10. The imagingdevice of claim 7, wherein: the display section displays at least one ofsubject display and image data corresponding to the common range basedon image data corresponding to an overall image output from the imagingsection.
 11. An imaging device, comprising: an imaging section forforming a subject image and outputting image data, a movement detectionsection for detecting movement of the imaging device; a common rangedetermination section for determining a common range, based on detectionresults from the movement detection section; an exposure control sectionfor carrying out control so as to achieve appropriate exposure for imagedata corresponding to the common range that has been determined by thecommon range determination section; and a storage section for storingimage data that has been controlled so as to have appropriate exposureby the exposure control section.
 12. An imaging device, comprising: animaging section for forming an image of a subject; and a display controlsection for adjusting an image processing amount on imaging results fordisplay on a display section, wherein the display control sectionchanges the image processing amount according to image characteristicsacquired from images sequentially acquired by the imaging section.